1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to improvements in physical conditioning devices and in exercise systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computer-controlled, user interactive system and method for simulating mechanical weight exercising systems, for communicating personalized instructional and educational information to a user, and for providing an electronically paced exercise regimen which is automatically adjusted to meet the needs of a user of the equipment.
2. The Prior Art
Programs for development, improvement, or rehabilitation of the human body through physical exercise have long been in use. Historically, these programs have included use of weight lifting devices such as bar bells, dumb bells and weight-pulley machines. Numerous embodiments of weight-pulley machines have been developed for accomplishing specific objectives of exercising, conditioning, or strengthening body parts. In some cases, one machine may define several different exercise configurations for accomplishing a number of different types of exercises.
More recently, devices and systems have been developed to replace the weights and pulleys with electronically controlled resistance which simulates the weights and pulleys. A number of systems have also been developed which provide information permitting the user to evaluate his performance after completing his exercise session. Information provided by such systems may include an indication of a parameter such as elapsed time in the exercise session, heart rate to be maintained, or an indication of prior performance levels reached by the user The user uses this information along with feedback of corresponding current information such as number of repetitions completed or heart rate in adjusting his efforts in an attempt to meet his particular objective. The continuing efforts made by the user in attempting to adjust his performance to reach a stable exercising pace or desired exercise condition often involve undesirable exercise conditions wherein the user is vacillating between overexertion and underexertion in his attempts to reach the stable condition.
Although the performance information described above is helpful to the user, more benefit could be obtained by providing the user with ongoing comprehensive evaluations of his performance as changes occur during the immediate exercise period, instructions on how to improve his performance, and pacing means for assisting the user to maintain a constant pace throughout each repetition of the exercise. By pacing the performance of repetitions, in addition to receiving evaluations and instructions, the user could maintain a uniform exercising condition which minimizes overshooting and undershooting of his exercise efforts. Accordingly, the desired exercise system should provide assistance to the user on a constant basis so that he may quickly adjust and maintain his performance of the exercise repetitions to conform to performance parameters which guide the user through all portions of each exercise repetition.
Exercise systems such as those described above have historically been used in performing exercise programs developed by the users or operators of the systems. These programs are typically changed based upon the performance history of the user, in order to continue to challenge the user and to provide benefit to the body portions being exercised. The updated performance criteria in these programs is derived manually, and then the necessary changes to the equipment, such as increasing the weight or resistance are made by the operator. Although this practice does tend to accomplish its purpose, it becomes burdensome and requires extensive record keeping and review of the records in order to determine the appropriate changes to be made to the exercise program. It would be very helpful to provide an exercise system and method which retains a history of prior performance data, and which automatically evaluates the performance data and changes the exercise program based upon both upon demographic data of the user, and upon the user's performance history.
Such a system would be even more valuable if it were to communicate this type of information to the user in the form of evaluation of his performance and instructions on improving his performance, as well as providing other educational information relevant to the user. The ability of the user to receive and benefit from the information would be greatly enhanced by communicating it to him by both audio and visual means, so that his attention and learning capacities could be best served.
Over the years, it has also become common practice to provide several types of exercise stations for customer use at establishments such as gymnasiums or health spas. There may be several identical exercise stations, or there may be stations of various types to accomplish particular types of exercise regimens. It would be beneficial if such systems could be centrally controllable and could provide to any interconnected station evaluation information relating to past performance on any other interconnected station, as well as other information such as proposed changes to exercise programs and instructions or information which may be of interest to the user of the equipment.
As is apparent from the above discussion, what is needed in the technology is an exercise system and method which not only varies resistance of the exercise system to optimize the benefit obtained by the user during an exercise period, but which provides pacing assistance to the user in order to maintain the desired aerobic or other exercise condition by minimizing any overshooting or undershooting of the desired exercise repetition profile. A further improvement in the art would be to provide an exercise system and method which evaluates user performance on a real-time basis with respect to performance criteria established during the current exercise period. Still a further improvement in the technology would be to provide such a system which retains a history of user performance, and which evaluates that performance to provide changes to the user's exercise program in light of the past performance and demographic characteristics of the user. Another improvement in the technology would be to provide such a system which communicates evaluation and instructional information to the user during the exercise session as a form of coaching, with the benefit of this improvement being increased by providing this communication to the user via a plurality of communication media, such as visual and audio. Still further improvement in the technology would be achieved by providing such an exercise system which incorporates control by a single central processor for a plurality of different exercise stations so that the exercise stations may perform the exercise program in a stand-alone mode, but with user performance history and evaluation data readily accessible to any of the exercise stations from the central control location.